Culinary Arts (AS) - Curriculum

Here you will learn how to prepare classical French, regional Italian, American and international cuisine, as well as bake. Menu planning, supervision and nutrition are also featured. You will also study cost control supervision, dining room service, food preparation, garde manger, the industry, purchasing and receiving, and sanitation and safety.

Field experience is a key part of the SNHU culinary arts program. Experience includes:

working the front and back of the house at our student-run restaurant, The Quill (a Best of New Hampshire Award-winner).

completing an internship, typically during the summer between freshman and sophomore year.

competing at the local, regional and even national levels

Baking and Pastry Arts Required Courses

ENG-120: College Composition I

ENG 120 is a college-level writing course that introduces students to various forms of academic discourse. Students are required to prepare essays in a variety of rhetorical modes, including exposition, description and argumentation. In addition to out-of-class writing assignments, students will be required to compose in-class essays in response to readings and other prompts. ENG 120 introduces students to process-writing techniques, library research and MLA documentation procedures. The primary focus of ENG 120 is to help students acquire the writing skills they need to succeed in an academic environment. Enrollment is kept intentionally small, typically 15 students per section, to assure maximum benefit.

ENG-200: Sophomore Seminar

This is a theme-based seminar that builds on the skills learned in SNHU-101 and ENG-120, focusing on information literacy (the ability to locate and evaluate information) as well as written and oral communication skills. The theme of the course will vary according to the instructor, but in all sections, students will conduct extensive research on the topic and communicate their knowledge in a variety of oral presentations and writing assignments that will culminate in a research paper. To be taken during the student's sophomore year.

Prerequisites:

ENG-120 or ENG-120H and sophomore standing or hono

SNHU-101: SNHU Experience: Transition to College

Transition to College will help you make the most successful, least stressful transition to college life possible. This is the first in a 3-course sequence (SNHU-101, 303, 404) designed to support your academic, personal, and professional development. The goal of class discussions and outside work for SNHU-101 will be to help you develop and refine the knowledge and skills you will need to manage and get the most out of the academic and personal opportunities ahead of you. Remember that these opportunities may be challenging, but challenges allow us all to grow and change.

TCI-109: Food Purchasing

This course uses student research, lectures and guest speakers to examine the various grades, types and varieties of fresh and processed fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, shellfish, poultry, dairy products and various sundry items, and the methodology of purchasing food in large quantities. This course integrates student research with applied learning activities conducted through the Hospitality Center receiving department and Hospitality Center special events. Students will acquire in-depth knowledge of centralized procurement, writing specifications, product identification, packaging and pricing. Offered every year.

Prerequisites:

Must be enrolled in the Culinary program

TCI-110: Culinary Skills and Procedures

This is a foundation course for students embarking on culinary careers. It emphasizes basic cooking techniques, culinary terminology and the proper uses of culinary tools. A typical class consists of a classroom lecture and demonstration of food preparation by the instructor followed by hands-on food production by the students. Goals of the course include learning the importance of detailed organization, or "Mise en Place;" correct cooking procedures; and appropriate attitudes towards the culinary profession as developed by the culinary program and the American Culinary Federation. Offered as needed.

Prerequisites:

Take TCI-110CO; and must be enrolled in the Culina

TCI-111: Progressive Culinary Techniques/Menu Imp

Food Production continues TCI 110 with lectures and demonstrations to strengthen students' backgrounds and knowledge of cooking techniques and their application to a variety of products. Sauce production and meat fabrication will be studied in more detail. Students also produce multicourse American menus. Appropriate readings and written assignments are included. Offered as needed.

Prerequisites:

Take TCI-111CO; TCI-110; and must be enrolled in t

TCI-113: Fundamentals of Baking

This course defines basic baking terminology, ingredients and methods. Techniques discussed in each class session are applied to the actual production of baked items, including yeast breads, puff pastry, Danish dough, quick breads, clair paste, tarts and pies. Students will be asked to analyze the components of each baked good and will learn how to evaluate the finished product. Proper sanitation and safety techniques in the bakery will be emphasized. Offered as needed.

Prerequisites:

Take TCI-113CO; and must be enrolled in the Culina

TCI-114: Intermediate Baking

This course is a continuation of TCI 113. A lecture and lab format is used to introduce students to techniques used in the production of chiffon, Bavarian creams, mousses, pastry cream and other fillings, phyllo dough products, cakes and icings. Basic cake decorating techniques also are introduced. Offered as needed.

Prerequisites:

Take TCI-114CO; TCI-113; and must be enrolled in t

TCI-116: Safety and Sanitation

This course examines the fundamentals of sanitation in foodservice operations. Techniques of proper sanitation and safety will be studied and practiced. Students will become familiar with HACCP, Federal, State, and Local sanitation and safety requirements. Topics studied include the importance of proper sanitation procedures, purchasing and receiving of safe food. Emphasis is placed on the elimination of cross- contamination and harmful pathogens. Management strategies demonstrate the importance of the integration of pest management, employee sanitation and safety training and proper safety and security measures. The NRA Serve Safe Sanitation Exam, a degree requirement, is given to students during the course.

Prerequisites:

Must be enrolled in the Culinary program

TCI-167: Nutritional Cooking

Through this course, the student will develop knowledge toward a cohesive concept of health. Because the majority of all diseases and illnesses is directly related to lifestyle, emphasis is on day-to-day living and the individual's responsibility to and for himself or herself. Contemporary nutritional theories are applied in the production lab, where students practice various dietary menus. Offered once a year.

Prerequisites:

Take TCI-167CO; and must be enrolled in the Culina

TCI-250: Dining Room Management

This course will focus on the basic principles of supervising a food service operation. Management theories will be explored in the context of a changing service industry. Hiring, training, motivating, directing, delegating and solving problems as a chef-manager will be emphasized. Offered as needed.

Prerequisites:

Must be enrolled in the Culinary program

TCI-256: Food and Beverage Cost Control

This course reviews the computational arithmetic skills required for accurate food service preparation, operation and management. The methods used to solve mathematical problems that relate to food service operations are stressed. Topics covered include operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, weights and measures, recipe conversion, menu pricing, food cost, inventories, break-even analysis and financial statements. Use of a calculator is stressed. Offered once a year.

Prerequisites:

Must be enrolled in the Culinary program

TCI-390: Culinary Cooperative Education

This is a guided cooperative education experience for integrating study and experience. Students are contracted to maintain employment for a minimum of 240 hours over a pre-determined length of time with specified starting and ending dates (usually a three- to four-month summer season) working at an approved food service operation. Open to culinary students only. Offered every year.

This course is designed to prepare students for other courses in the core curriculum and in their majors and to provide a basis for making decisions in life after graduation. Topics include mathematics of finance, probability and counting, descriptive statistics and basic linear regression. (Students who have successfully completed MAT 120 or MAT 150 may not register for MAT 130).

MAT-135: The Heart of Mathematics

In this course, students will consider beautiful and profound mathematical concepts on par with the great works of Shakespeare, Plato and Michelangelo in the realms of literature, philosophy and the arts. Topics may include numerical patterns in the nature, the golden rectangle, Platonic solids, topological equivalence, symmetry, prime numbers, infinity, fractals and other subjects.

MAT-140: Precalculus

This course emphasizes the algebra and concepts of functions. Students will learn the properties and graphing techniques for different types of functions including: linear, polynomial, rational, trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions. Students will also learn to solve a variety of real world problems that rely on a number of different problem solving strategies and an understanding of these different types of functions.

MAT-210: Applied Calculus I

This is an introductory course in single-variable calculus. Topics include limits, continuity, derivatives, differentiation, integration and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Students will gain experience solving real-world problems involving calculus, including problems in business, economics, natural sciences and social sciences.

MAT-211: Applied Calculus II

This course is a continuation of MAT 210. Topics include integration by parts, functions of several variables, trigonometric functions, techniques of integration, differential equations, Taylor polynomials and infinite series. Students will learn applications in business, economics, natural sciences and social sciences.

Prerequisites:

MAT-210 or MAT-225 with a grade of C or better; or

MAT-230: Discrete Mathematics

Discrete mathematics is the study of mathematical structures that are fundamentally discrete rather than continuous. That is, in contrast to the real numbers that vary continuously, the objects of study in discrete mathematics take on distinct, separated values. Topics include operations on sets, logic, truth tables, counting, relations and digraphs, functions, trees and graph theory. A significant goal of this course is to improve students' critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.

MAT-240: Applied Statistics

This is a fundamental course in the application of statistics. In this course, students will learn to apply statistical techniques to a variety of applications in business and the social sciences. Students will learn how to solve statistical problems by hand and through the use of computer software. Topics include probability distribution functions, sampling distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing and linear regression.

MAT-299: Mathematical Proof and Problem Solving

This course introduces students to the language and methods used to create and write mathematical proofs and solve problems. Methods of proof will include: direct, contrapositive, contradiction, and induction. Methods of problem solving will be based on Polya's four steps for problem solving. Students will learn about and utilize the many functions of proof including: verification, explanation, communication, discovery, justification, and inquiry. The course will also explore the relationship between problem solving and the process of proving. Students will explore fundamental abstract concepts in mathematics including: functions and relations, set theory, number theory, and logic.

Prerequisites:

MAT-230 with a grade of C or better

Culinary Management Major Courses

TCI-211: Italian Cuisine

Students will strengthen their cooking skills and techniques by producing food to be served in the public restaurant and banquet facilities. Students will rotate through each station of the kitchen, practicing the skills and techniques learned in TCI 110 and TCI 111. In addition to the strongly emphasizing classical cooking techniques, the course will provide students with production experience in breakfast cookery, salads and dressings, hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, canapes, sandwiches, cheeses and a la carte desserts. The development of production techniques, timing and organizational skills are emphasized. Offered as needed.

Prerequisites:

Take TCI-211CO; TCI-111; and must be enrolled in t

TCI-217: Classical Cuisine

Students prepare products using classic recipes from specific regions in France. They learn the cooking techniques that have been proven over time and how regional influences have helped shape the foods indigenous to French cooking. Food is prepared in this class for a la carte service in the public dining room of the Hospitality Center. Offered every semester.

Prerequisites:

Take TCI-217CO; TCI-111; and must be enrolled in t

TCI-218: International Cuisine and Service

In this production class, students prepare the cuisine of six different nationalities. Middle Eastern, Latin, Bavarian, Italian, Chinese and Asian cuisines are practiced and a set menu is provided for service in the culinary dining room. All facets of a country's cuisine, from appetizers through desserts, are studied. Offered every semester.

Prerequisites:

Take TCI-218CO; TCI-111; and must be enrolled in t

TCI-220: Charcuterie

This course introduces students to all aspects of the cold kitchen. The course begins with an overview of the history of garde manger and the proper selection, care and handling of ingredients. Students are encouraged through their lab work to demonstrate an understanding of classical garde manger techniques. Each lab begins with a class lecture on the day's topic followed by an instructor's demonstration. Students then work on projects based on the lecture and demonstration. Content area includes: cured and smoked foods, charcuterie, terrines and pates, aspic and chaud froid, cheese, hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, cold sauces and condiments. Basic ice carving and buffet layout are covered. Required outside study will include French and English terminology associated with garde manger and readings in the textbook. This course is designed to study purchasing, receiving, evaluating and proper storage procedures of meats. Emphasis is placed on primal and subprimal cuts, federal inspections, grading yields, and the classifications of meats, poultry and game. Laboratory activities include hands-on fabrication of pork, beef, poultry, lamb and veal.

Prerequisites:

TCI-111 and must be enrolled in the Culinary progr

TCI-235: American Regional Cuisine

This course explores the historical implications of the development of regional American cuisines and their effects. Diverse ethnic backgrounds and regional availability and their roles in the development of truly American dishes are explored. Students will assemble and produce menus that encompass cuisine from a region's earliest beginnings to a variety of food that is prepared today. Offered once a year.